addressing the Jamie Clayton Hellraiser announcement backlash.

It was announced yesterday that actor Jamie Clayton, known for her roles in the L Word and Sense8, is to play Pinhead in the new Hellraiser film. The backlash to this announcement was immediate, with people flooding online horror groups with their distate at the news. It seemed that wherever I turned online I was met with negative comments regarding this casting choice. 

This right here is the reason I started Positively Horror. The way the negativity to this announcement spread, started to dwarf the voices of those welcoming, and excited by the announcement. My aim with Positively Horror is to make sure there is positivity in the community that I love, when the negativity is so loud, and seemingly impossible to avoid. 

The backlash to this announcement is some of the loudest and fastest spreading I've seen for quite some time so I felt compelled to jump on here to address it. 

I'll address the main complaints that I've come across so far;

Firstly,  people aren't happy that it is a woman in the role. I've even seen one complainant saying that it shouldn't be a woman because they arent threatening enough, if that isn't a perfect example of the deeply ingrained patriarchal, privileged worldview I don't know what is. Now, without even crediting Jamie Clayton for her acting abilities she has been shunned because she is a woman. I'd like to take a few quotes from the original source material 'The Hellbound Heart' novella which talks about the gender of the cenobites:

“He was having difficulty guessing the speakers gender with any certainty. It’s clothes, some of which were sewn both to and through its skin, hid its private parts and there was nothing in the dregs of its voice or in its willfully disfigured features that offered the least clue.”

“Only these sexless things with their corrugated flesh.”

“Not it he now saw, but she. The hood that it had worn had been discarded, as had the robes. The woman beneath was grey yet gleaming."

When the cenobites are described here, early on in 'The Hellbound Heart' they are shown to be genderless in their androgynous appearance and disfiguring body modifications, which would suggest that anyone of any gender should be able to play the part, not just a male actor because that's what you're comfortable with. 

The third quote describes one of the cenobites as revealing herself as female, which I'm sure would put the "women can't be threatening" argument to bed. So this first complaint falls flat immediately when referencing the source materail.

The second complaint is that if its not Doug Bradley its not Pinhead. Doug Bradley is phenomenal, I adore him and his portrayal as Pinhead, but guess what, if Jamie Clayton takes over the role, Doug Bradley's films don't cease to be. You can still revisit them as much as you like, and continue to appreciate him in the iconic role. Something I've begun to wonder over recent years, is why don't we as a community want to accept someone new filling a well loved role if it means we get to see more of a favourite character on screen? In the theatre world it is completely normal to have roles played by different people, and as a theatre patron you get to experience someone filling that role and giving their own interpretation. You may have favourite portrayals of Elphaba, but wouldn't be up in arms everytime you saw it on the west end with a different cast. It seems like a strong sense of entitlement to something that doesn't actually belong to you. 

The third complaint is one that thankfully I haven't seen too much of yet, but it is there, like a festering boil. The transphobic response to the role being given to a trans woman. Once again, putting aside Clayton's acting prowess just to complain that the studio is pandering to 'woke Culture'. As I've shown earlier in the post, any gender should be able to play the role, and anyone with a shred of awareness knows that REPRESENTATION.MATTERS! 

I'd like to wind down this rant by taking a quote from the man himself, Mr. Clive Barker regarding this new production,

“This is a Hellraiser on a scale that I simply didn’t expect. David and his team are steeped in the story’s mythology, but what excites me is their desire to honour the original even as they revolutionize it for a new generation.” As well as being a producer on this film, Clive Barker is the man that created Hellraiser, so if he is excited for it, surely we can be too. 

I am personally very excited for this and would like to congratulate Jamie Clayton on landing the iconic role!

Catch up with Briana Morgan

Positively Horror recently got the chance to catch up with the brilliant horror author and playwright Briana Morgan as she prepares for the release of her latest novel Mouthful of Ashes. Please enjoy the full interview below:

Last time we spoke you were just preparing to release your horror play Unboxed. Firstly, how have you been?

Yes, it’s been a while! I’ve been doing well. For about six months, I couldn’t write anything. I think I stalled out because of the pandemic and burnout in general. Since getting back into writing, I’ve revamped my Patreon, finished writing my adult horror novella Mouth Full of Ashes, and started drafting a new found footage book. I’ve also been writing a lot of short stories.

You released a short story collection since we last spoke called The Tricker Treater and other stories. Could you tell us a bit about that?

It’s a collection of stories featuring the themes of love, loss, betrayal, and sacrifice, among others. I’ve always been intrigued by horrors real and imagined, so the collection contains monsters, ghosts, and humans doing inhuman things.

If you could choose only one story from the collection to be turned into a film, which would it be?

It would be hard to pull off, but I would love to see “The Tricker-Treater” adapted into a film. I designed the monster in that one, the Tricker-Treater, and I’d love to see him on the screen.

You run a Patreon for fans to keep you with your works in progress and have fun film nights amongst other things. What is your experience with getting to interact with fans in this way?

It’s so humbling to have people supporting me and wanting to spend time with me outside of reading my work. I feel I’ve really built a community of like-minded friends and fans, and I’ve seen some genuine friendships blossom among my supporters as well. Creating a Patreon is one of the best things I’ve done as an author.

What else can people expect when joining your Patreon?

When you subscribe to my Patreon, you’ll get access to an exclusive Discord server, movie nights, behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, and more. I’m planning to start streaming video games soon, and once I hit $100/month, I’ll be posting monthly vlogs. 

What is your favourite horror trope?

It’s so hard to choose! I’ve always been a sucker for the final girl, though.

What would you like to see more of in the genre in the future?

More diversity. More disabled protagonists. Less sexual assault and exploitation of women.

You are currently gearing up for the release of Mouthful of Ashes, which is available for pre-order now. Can you tell us a bit about it?

Mouth Full of Ashes is my love letter to The Lost Boys. It’s one of the first vampire movies I ever saw, and it sticks with me as one of my favorite horror films. If you’ve seen The Lost Boys and want something queerer and more modern, this novella is for you.

Here’s an overview:

Mourning the sudden loss of her sister, Callie Danoff wants nothing more than to embrace a fresh start in a new town, leaving the haunting memories of her sister’s death behind. But when her brother Ramsay drags her to a spooky boardwalk, the two become entangled with a local vampire gang and its enigmatic leader, Elijah. Callie refuses to accept their existence... until she and her brother unknowingly ingest vampire blood. Now, they only have three days before they turn into vampires themselves.

With her carefree summer thwarted, Callie must trust a group she barely knows in order to save her family.

And is there anything else that you're currently working on that you can talk a little about? 

I have a story in the upcoming Kandisha Press anthology Slash-Her, and I’m super excited about that. I’ll also be appearing on some podcasts this fall, sharing readings on YouTube, and reviewing books for The Wicked Library. Beyond that, I’m working on a found footage book that I’m looking forward to querying.

Thank you Briana for the great interview. Please check out the pre-order link below to grab your copy of Mouthful of Ashes:

https://amzn.to/3Are9MB

And check out Briana's social media accounts below:

https://twitter.com/brimorganbooks

https://instagram.com/brianamorganbooks

https://tiktok.com/@brianamorganbooks

Hellraiser on the big screen!

The other night I went with my twin brother to see one of our long standing favourite horror films on the big screen, fully uncut! 

Hellraiser is a beautifully macabre adaptation of the Clive Barker novella The Hellbound Heart, and even all these years after its release it still packs a punch.

I first saw hellraiser when I was around thirteen and was getting into horror more and more. The hellraiser films were being shown on television late at night, and being the only person in the house that could fully work the vcr, I set it to record them without parental consent (what a rebel!). Flash forward to the next day when my brother and I sat down to watch it. We didn't know how to take it, we'd never seen anything like it and admittedly said that we didn't like it upon first viewing. Of course, this is because it was so far removed from anything in the genre that we'd seen up to this point. We were used to slashers and comedy horror in the early stages of our horror journey, and the sheer audacity of Hellraiser had left us stunned. 

We could have left it there, but it played on our minds and we had to soon revisit it and delve further into the labyrinth with Hellbound: Hellraiser 2. This is when we fell in love! 

Hellraiser was such a unique experience, with it's originality and melodramatic flair that it is a joy to experience every time I revisit it, finding new things to marvel at each time. Uncle Frank may be the monstrous antagonist of the film, but Julia is a truly magnificent villain and she will go down in history as a wicked step mother not to be trifled with. 

Getting the opportunity to see Hellraiser on the big screen made me fall in love with it all over again, and it was an entirely immersive experience letting the Christopher Young score wash over me from the title screen until the end of the credits roll. 

GUEST BLOG: SOUNDTRACK SPOTLIGHT - PSYCHO

For this Soundtrack Spotlight I have chosen ‘Psycho.’ A film by Indian writer and director Mysskin. Though he only made his directorial debut in 2006 his films have met critical acclaim and he has spanned genres from romance, thrillers, horror and even super hero action movies. 

With a soundtrack composed by Ilaiyaraaja, while not specifically a horror composer, certainly a master of the craft with a career spanning nearly four decades with over one thousand film compositions to his name. 

The music begins at the climax of the opening scene with a short sharp burst of scratchy strings holding two long droning notes while each bar is interspersed with a higher trill bringing a sense of high tension. 

During the next scene in which the parents identify the body, there is a very low single not drone in the background which adds the perfect sense of dread until the body is identified as their child at which point the music stops almost mirroring the numbness of the parents.

During the party scene the music takes on a diegetic approach in the form of a string ensemble playing at the party, this moves into a musical number as is common in Indian cinema. 

These first few opening scenes give a representation of the main motifs used throughout the rest of the film.

The next piece of music while Gautham Is listening to Dagini’s radio show is another string ensemble piece with a wind melody played over the top which breaks to silence when the serial killer arrives and then builds to a crescendo after Dagini’s abduction.

While the killer is talking with Dagini the music is again a minimal string ensemble, though this time non-diegetic, until the next scene when the killer plays a CD in his car, this time diegetic but still the same minimal string ensemble. The constant mixture from diegetic to non-diegetic of the same minimal string ensemble is interesting and builds an uneasy immersion for the viewer.  However, this technique is not carried on too much throughout the rest of the film, which is a bit of a shame as it makes you feel as though the filmmakers really had immersion in mind. 

As the film moves on the music from the opening scene is reintroduced as a theme for the killers’ murders, and as the killer becomes more erratic the piece of music also builds in instrumentation and volume, signifying his loss of control.

Later in the film we are treated to a car chase, that has some pulsing strings along with a horn melody that gets higher in pitch as the chase goes on, the constant elevation in pitch really adds great tension here.

The music becomes more sombre as the chase comes to an end and Gautham’s brother is killed. 

Later as we learn more about the killers past and motives there is a ritual scene accompanied by choral vocals with orchestral music to create a religious feeling. 

As we reach the final act, we again get some pulsing strings and horns while the killer chases Gautham in the dark.

All in all, the film was enjoyable and the soundtrack kept the suspense even if it did give up on the immersion early on. 

Check it out on Netflix (UK) now and give it a listen.

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS CYNTHIA MURPHY

Positively Horror recently got the chance to ask the brilliant new YA author Cynthia Murphy some questions. Please enjoy the full interview below. 

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?

I’m 37 and I live in Manchester with my husband and our dog, Loli, who is a mixed breed rescue from Romania. 

I’ve adored horror since being young, starting with Point Horror books and Christopher Pike before working my way up to Stephen King, when I was definitely far too young.

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

I think with books, it was MR James short stories, a book I bought without really knowing what it was before progressing to Point Horror. I still remember being terrified by those old school ghost stories. In terms of movies, I didn’t really watch any horror films until I was a bit older but I did have an incident where I flipped over the TV when I was about ten and it was on the bodybag being dragged down the hallway scene in A Nightmare on Elm Street. To be quite honest, it scared me so much I can’t believe I actually went back and watched it years later!

Your debut novel ‘Last One to Die’ is a blend of thriller, slasher and supernatural, do you have any favourite sub-genres that you gravitate towards?

I love them all. I really love a supernatural element because your imagination can go wild and it doesn’t always have to be rooted in reality. Saying that, I absolutely adore slasher movies - there is something so terrifying about being trapped in what should be a safe environment and having no escape.

Last One to Die has been very well received in the online bookish community, do you feel that bookstagram is a big help in today’s world for getting work out there?

Bookstagram and Twitter have been amazing, especially for someone who released their debut novel during a pandemic! I think the whole community is so creative and supportive and I have found some real kindred spirits over the course of the year. The support for Last One to Die has been beyond my wildest dreams and the community has absolutely helped get the word out about my creepy little book.

Your next book Win, Lose, Kill, Die is set for release early next year. Could you tell us a little bit about it?

This book has been living in my brain for about six years, seven by the time it comes out in 2022. It follows Liz, who is a student at Morton Academy, which has a reputation for only selecting the best and brightest students. Everyone there is on a scholarship, so there is a really diverse cast of characters, not just the usual super-rich, privileged kids that you often see in a boarding school novel. However, that means that everybody is thirsty to succeed and some will do absolutely anything to get what they want. Liz and her friends must figure out who is stalking the students and try to keep themselves safe, all while learning about Morton’s murky past. The story is told from two points of view – Liz and the murderer…

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?

I love anything by Kat Ellis and have followed her career since her first book, Blackfin Sky. I also love Mina and the Undead by Amy McCaw, anything by Dawn Kurtagitch, Mark of the Wicked by Georgia Bowers, Kathryn Foxfield’s novels and House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland. I also have a huge TBR pile with books on it such as The Taking of Jake Livingston and Such Pretty Things by Lisa Heathfield.

And are there any other project you’re involved with that you’d like to talk about?

I’ve got quite an exciting pre-order campaign coming up for Win Lose Kill Die. I can’t talk about too much at the minute but all will be revealed around Halloween. I can say it might be re-visiting a villain that people became familiar with in Last One to Die…

Thank you again to Cynthia for the great interview. To find her work check out 

@cynthiamurphyya on social media and

https://www.waterstones.com/author/cynthia-murphy/4546077 for all releases. 

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS REECE CONNOLLY

Positively Horror recently got the chance to ask Horror creative Reece Connolly some questions. Please enjoy the full interview below. 

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?

I'm a writer, performer, and producer based in East London but originally from just outside Newcastle. I work across stage and screen, as well as creating short stories and illustrations. Pretty much everything I do has a tinge of horror to it in some way, it's undoubtedly my favourite genre. I love reading horror, watching horror, and making horror, and always have. 

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

As long as I can remember I've been drawn to it. Anything weird, grotesque, dark and unusual has piqued my curiosity. I remember as a kid seeing these huge Stephen King, James Herbert, Thomas Harris books lying around the house, which my parents enjoyed reading. The cover art would endlessly fascinate and terrify me, which also really triggered my imagination. And so that was the sort of thing I continued to seek out and grow to love and respect. 

You were in the wonderful indie flick A Werewolf In England which is available now, can you tell us a bit about that experience and why everyone should watch it? 

It's a loving homage to the Hammer flicks of old, a classic monster invasion romp set in a crumbling Victorian inn, featuring a really motley crew of rogues fighting for survival. Incredibly gory, very camp, chock-full of nods to everything from Troma to early Sam Raimi. Perfect family viewing. I'd followed the work of Charlie Steeds [who wrote and directed the film under his studio, Dark Temple Motion Pictures, who specialise in these amazing homegrown horrors] for a while, so it was so so cool and exciting to get to work on something with him and his team. Challenging too, but in the best way - I learnt so much on that set, and am very proud of the finished piece. If it sounds up your street, definitely check it out!

As well as acting You're creating a horror webcomic called the Void-Witch, with the first episode available now, what are your plans for the comic? 

It started as a quasi-experiment/challenge to myself, creating a mini-comic featuring some original characters I'd had lurking in my brain for some time. I love illustrating, but it had been an age since I'd tried writing + drawing a comic - so I thought why not! But the response to it was very warm and enthusiastic; people want to see more! And I have plans for how the story can pan out, so all I need to do now is get those stories out onto the page.  I'd love more people to get to know those characters, and see the sort of stories I enjoy telling. 

What is your favourite horror trope?

Something I love is when things subvert expectations, playing around with established rules and tropes, taking you by surprise. That's often where the really really fun things happen. Horror is so steeped in tradition and lore and cliche - so when someone comes along and takes that history and then twists it into something new and punky and unpredictable, that's super-exciting. 

What is something you'd like to see more of in the future in the genre? 

I want to keep seeing new and diverse voices being championed and supported in the horror industry. New authors, actors, filmmakers from communities and cultures that have been for so long totally unrepresented within the genre. We need more POC creators, women creators, LGBTQ+ creators, creators from different social backgrounds. And when a project comes along made by an underrepresented community, we have a responsibility as sn audience to show up for that, support it, champion it. Put your money where your mouth is. 

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?

Anything Jordan Peele and Ari Aster are putting out is very far up my alley. I’m so excited to see what Nia DaCosta does with the new Candyman too. Whatever Robert Eggers is cooking up next, because The Lighthouse changed my life. And I'm obsessed with Brand New Cherry Flavour on Netflix right now - I want to crawl inside Nick Antosca + Lenore Zion's mind.

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?

I’ve got a solo show coming to the London Horror Fest this year, called SUCKER 4 U, about a man’s brief but passionate affair with the dread-god Cthulu. It’s very queer, very rude, really dark, and I can’t wait to unleash it onstage. Again, lovely family-friendly stuff. And currently also working on a Christmas show about the antichrist for a gorgeous little theatre on the North East coast. Bringing horror home!  Hopefully more film stuff too. Always ready to work with Dark Temple again [Charlie if you’re reading this plz cast me some more].  Plus, I’m always churning out new illustrations [and hopefully more comics] on my Insta art account - @beyondtheplughole - so please check that out too.  So yeh, support queer artists!

Thank you again to Reece for the interview. To keep up with their work just follow the link below. 

https://linktr.ee/reececonnolly

Positively Horror interviews Nicholas Grant

Positively Horror recently got the chance to interview the great indie Filmmaker Nicholas Grant. Please enjoy the full interview below. 

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

2.When I was young, my mom introduced me to a movie called "Silence of the Lambs" and introduced me to Hannibal Lecter. At first, when I saw that, all I saw when watching him was an old man in jail. A million things were racing through my head "Why was he in prison? Why was he locked up? This guy looks so old! He couldn't hurt a fly!" And then I realized, that wasn't the case following that escape scene in the movie. That taught me a lesson and I found out that was the point my mother was doing, that looks can be deceiving. In that moment, I learned horror isn't always about the jumpscares or what goes bump in the night, it can teach very real, very insightful life lessons through fear kinda like what the original Brother's Grimm books did to children when they read them. Ever since then, I became obsessed with the genre, watching tons of horror movies, tons of scary novels, several from my favorite authors like Stephen King and Dean Koontz.

At that moment, I began writing my own stories and "Scripts". When I saw the movie, "Lady in the Water", and I was introduced to the filmmaker, M. Night Shyamalan and I saw that this man not only wrote the movie, but he also directed and produced, it made me realize I didn't have to just limit myself to one role, I could be many and other influences like John Carpenter and Robert Rodriguez taught me the benefits of being a one man film crew.

You have been creating horror shorts that are available for free online for some time, including your vampire series 'Coven'. What do you feel are the benefits of releasing your content this way?

When doing my shorts like this, I didn't really know what people would think about my work, if they would like it or not. As I kept releasing my movies, like some filmmakers find out, some people like your work, others didn't; it's all subjective. Even some of the greatest filmmakers in the genre put out work that some of my friends either don't understand or say flat out sucks. I release them in this way because I'm still learning, testing the waters, seeing what works for me and what doesn't, what sticks, what grabs my audience and keeps them coming back.

Do you have plans to further explore your 'Coven' universe, and is there anything you can tell us about what may be to come? 

I can't say too much about upcoming Coven projects, but I can say the series will continue and there will be twists and turns many will not see coming.

Your latest short 'Pick Up' is available to watch now on YouTube. What was the inspiration behind that piece?

I've heard many stories about people dealing with strange individuals and Uber drivers who would either take them somewhere they weren't originally heading or did things that made the passenger leave, fearing they were going to meet a terrifying demise. You can get the most out of horror when it's related to things that can ACTUALLY happen because if it's real, that makes the terror real and if the terror's real, that makes you think and then that makes you scared. Great material for horror.

As well as shorts, you have a feature out called 'He'll Hath no Fury'. Do you find that your process changes from short to feature length film? 

It definitely changes especially when the story is bigger and there are more characters, details and situations you have to flesh out. With a short, you have a short amount of time to keep the audience engaged and get your point across in an entertaining, artistic or insightful way. With features, you have to try a little harder cause it is over an hour or two, you have to make sure what you put down on that page and put on that screen with make the audience wanna stay along for the ride.

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?

Right now, my favorite people would have to be local talent like Melissa Marie Brown, Joseph Pascone, Paula Ramirez, Bobby Peoples, Aurora Brown, Danielle Chambers, just to name a few. They bring alot of energy and fun whenever we film together.

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?

The Coven series will continue and I plan to end the year with one more feature film however, I can't say much about it, just know that one is coming!

Thank you to Nicholas for the interview. To check out his work, follow the link below:

https://youtube.com/c/GraveyardPictures

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS ISIAH CAIN

Positively Horror's latest interview is with Isiah Cain, someone we're always eager to hear from! Please enjoy the full interview below:

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?

My name is Isiah Cain. I’m a Filmmaker (one of the many that are here in Las Vegas). I’ve always been into movies and it started with the interest in Acting,while in HighSchool i took up Video Production and that led me to editing and i just went from there, Now i’m a Head Creative for my Production team BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED. My relationship with Horror is different than Most, Alfred Hitchcock once said “the only way for me to get rid of my fears is to make films about them” i’ll sometimes take my real life situations and put them into my horror shorts.

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

I was introduced to Halloween (1978) just by being a nosey six year old…I regretted later because I completely misunderstood what that film was about.

You've previously worked with horror entertainment collective Antiks Entertainment making some great short horror. What was your experience working with such a creative group?

Yes, My experience was Grand Honestly. I learned so much.

Your shorts Hey and Party Girls are great and feel like they could easily be fleshed out and explored further. What do you like about creating short horror, and do you have plans to move into features?  

honestly people like (and love) those projects and i’m just sitting here (blank face) because i was just pushing myself to get out there and release something after having a hiatus, it was me getting out of a shell and doing things. As For Party Girls, i want to just say that there is more to PARTY GIRLS and hopefully i can go back and remake both of those films. As for a feature…who knows what the future holds.

Your horror content is available for free on YouTube, do you find that being part of the online horror community, and having your work so readily available helps get it out there? 

Right now, yes. I believe that it helps. Especially if you’re up and coming, one thing i love about YouTube is the Comments and let me tell you why: it’s sometimes constructive and if you’re able to know the difference between constructive criticism and just plain criticism you can develop a masterpiece. 

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?

Everyone who works hard and releases Something is my favorite. I root for everyone.

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about? 

Well, THE SHAPE: EVIL WITHIN is getting a complete overhaul, it’s a turn from what you seen when we released a teaser with Antiks Entertainment where our main focus is Michael as a kid leading to the events of Halloween Night. It’s a chance for us to explore and create along the way (Young Michael will be played by Cooper Nelson he’s an Amazing Young Actor).

The next project that we’ve announced is NIGHT RIDER and we’re excited about this it’ll turn heads, it’s a Thriller with twists and turns. This project Stars Riley Morlen and Roger Gerard Cole. And then we have a project that we haven’t announced yet hopefully we’ll get the chance to soon.

Thank you again to Isiah for the great interview. 

INTERVIEW WITH KOURTNEA ZINOV'YEVNA

The latest Positively Horror interview is with the great Kourtnea Zinov'yevna. Please enjoy the full interview below.

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?

I've loved horror for basically my whole life. I was raised by my grandma and she was a big horror hound; obsessed with Stephen King, so it was just a nice family thing. I got obsessed with seeing how things were made. 

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

I couldn't even tell you what age I first got into horror. I think of stuff like Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark that was on when I was a kid and think that might be it.

Your focus is with body horror, what makes this sub-genre stand out to you? 

I think I was fascinated with body horror before I really knew what it was. But it's definitely a genre I grew into. I used to be very into the extreme horror but I got bored of it. With body horror anything is possible, and it's always disgusting.

You're currently working on the feature 'Order of the White Worm', could you tell us a bit about it? 

Order of The White Worm is a very personal work to me about eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and pregnancy. Our main character, Brendell, is someone who is desperate to lose weight by any means necessary. When she is given a magic weightloss pill she starts to lose weight, but is overcome by insatiable hunger.

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?

I'm really interested in Leigh Janiak, Kei XI, Ari Aster, Robert Eggers. I'm sure there's so many I'm blanking on!

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?

I'm actually not involved on anything else currently. This is taking up all of my time and energy really. If you want you can check out my first short, featured on Rue Morgue's website, on YouTube, Mantis.

Thank you again to Kourtnea for the great interview. Check out the link below to watch the short 'Mantis':

https://youtu.be/U8dlB_FG43U

Click below for the 'Order of the White Worm' Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/Order-of-The-White-Worm-106127514991725/

INTERVIEW WITH HABIBA EL-SADANY

Positively Horror recently had the opportunity to ask indie author Habiba El-Sadany a few questions. Please enjoy the full interview below. 

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?

I’m Habiba El-Sadany, a 19-year-old Egyptian-Austrian author and I’m planning to major in English and American studies. At 17, I published two books: WHEN I WAS ALIVE which consists of 4 thriller novellas & TRAPPED which consists of 14 horror tales, and my first movie (a psychological thriller which I had written 2 years before) premiered. This year, specifically around 2 weeks ago, I published my third book which is called CURSED. It consists of 8 horror stories about a cursed necklace and those who wear it.

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

I was introduced to horror stories at a very young age; I loved them as a child! I always asked family and friends to tell me horror stories and urban legends, and then I moved on to horror movies and short stories, all of which I enjoyed very much. I still consider having a friend tell me a horror story they’d recently heard over a cup of tea the recipe to a perfect day! 

You've been publishing books since the age of 17, and you've also written a screenplay. Do you plan to do more work in film in the future?

For sure! It was a very unique experience. My first movie, The Labyrinth Prisoner, is Egypt’s first full-length independent movie. I’m currently working with the same team of highly talented and dedicated college students, and a second movie should be in the making soon!

You have a new book out called 'Cursed', could you tell us a little about it?

Cursed is a horror book which consists of 8 short stories about a cursed necklace and those who wear it. You join the necklace on its journey from one household to the other, and you experience it breaking hearts, attracting misery and destroying lives – all in the most blood-curdling way possible.

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?

I’m a huge fan of Stephen King (duh), Kealan Patrick Burke, and Ania Ahlborn. Although Rachel Harrison has only published one novel as of now, she’s already one of my favorite people in the horror community and I can’t wait for her new book. Add to that all the brilliant indie authors!

Thank you again to Habiba for the interview. 

You can check out her work by following the link below:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B097NQL1NN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_HGZAZPRME7K5CYV1ES8H

Anna Dixon on working in different areas of horror and WiHM

Positively Horror recently got the chance to ask the amazing Anna Dixon some questions about her work in the genre. Please enjoy the full interview below. 

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?

I’m Anna Dixon, I’m producer, AD, coffee runner (delete as applicable) at Mycho Entertainment. We make short and feature length indie horror films and are coming up on our tenth feature.

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age? 

Being the youngest of three, I used to sneak downstairs to watch things my older sisters were watching sometimes. I have a very vivid memory of peeking through the living room door at the original Child’s Play and being absolutely terrified. I guess that would’ve been around 1990ish so I would’ve been around 7 years old. I couldn't watch anything like that again for years and I think the next time was Scream at the cinema (when I was definitely too young to be in there!) and that had me hooked.

You have an impressive credits list on IMDB as a producer, what drew you to the producer role? 

Thank you, I’ve been really lucky! I befriended MJ on the mean streets of Preston about 12 years ago (blimey!) and I helped out on a couple of things he was doing; mainly building props, being someone in the background, holding a light, etc. It was a lot of fun and I wanted to do lots more! MJ had shot Slasher House not long before and was looking for someone to help with the post-production producer stuff, so I stepped into that role and the rest is history.

You held the MYCon festival last year, with lots of exciting announcements made for the future of Mycho. Are there any particular projects you're eager to jump into?

That was so much fun and such bitter-sweet memories now, as that was the last time the CleaverS cast were gathered together. We then very sadly lost the amazing and talented Paul Rogers who plays the main man to this awful virus last year. It’s left a huge hole in our personal and professional lives. There’s lots to be excited for, but I will always wish he was there with us for the ride.

It's currently women in horror month, how do you feel the role of women has changed in the genre over recent years both in front of, and behind the camera? Do you feel that the online horror community has helped to garner more inclusiveness with things like women in horror month? 

I always think that horror is a much more inclusive and progressive genre than any other I have worked in and seems ahead of the curve in recognising the need for diversity in the creators as well as the creations. I think there are loads more female voices now, telling stories from a female perspective and the range of characters has grown and changed over the years so that women can now be the heroes, the villains, the cowards and everything in between. The horror community is such a supportive and uplifting one and is great at celebrating inclusiveness, and long may it continue.

As a woman working in the genre, what would you like to see for the future of horror?

At the moment, I’d just like to get back to making some horror with all our favourite people, late, cold nights and cheap coffee in an insubstantial plastic cup now look so much more attractive. In the longer term, I’d love to see more equitable distribution models that allow indie horror creators (films, books, or any other medium) to earn a more reliable income.

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment? 

There are way too many to name and I’ll definitely forget people and never forgive myself. I am very much enjoying the true crime meets horror movie podcast me and Queen Eve (Oliver) are doing right now and we have some plans to move into producing horror shorts and features inspired by true crime events together under the Reel Horror brand, so watch this space.

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?

Everything is a little bit in flux due to this pandemic I keep hearing about, but we’re hopefully heading into production on Slasher House 3, Strawmen and Wrath of Thorn just as soon as we can. I’m also writing my first feature, White Night, (with a lot of help from my live-in expert) and I’m pretty excited about that. And we have an anthology feature in the works called HorrorScopes based on astrological signs and we’re chatting with some really talented and exciting contributors on that one.

Thanks so much for thinking of me for this 😊

Thank you again to Anna for the great interview. To learn more and to get all the great Mycho releases just follow the links below:

https://mycho.weebly.com/

https://www.patreon.com/mycho 

And to give to FAST (foundation for angelman's syndrome theraputics) click here: 

 https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/anna-dixon5?fbclid=IwAR3QG6U1qD73qDRRbpUT_29E9STywJ9dmmdrbTiyRYrUX_T4TTI1AFmCly4 

Kay Parker on writing and WiHM

The latest Positively Horror interview celebrating Women in horror month is with the brilliant horror author, Kay Parker. Please enjoy the full interview below. 

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?

Hi! Thank you for having me. I’m known as Kay and believe it or not I’m first and foremost a medieval historian working for the National Trust!  However, I’ve been an avid reader all my life and a great lover of sci-fi and horror since my early teens. My introduction to the genre was Stephen King (of course!) unless you count a vast collection of Goosebumps books when I was a child! 

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

It was probably Hellraiser, The Lost Boys and IT movies with my mum at the very raw age of 8-9 years old. They scared me to death! They were such an upgrade from the Goosebumps show and Are You Afraid of the Dark? that I was obsessed with. They’re still some of my favourite films today! I saw Nightmare on Elm Street around the same age and couldn’t sleep for a fortnight! He terrified me. I learned to turn that fear on its head though by making him my favourite bad guy!

What drew you to writing horror?

It was a long process. I’ve always dabbled in writing horror shorts, writing them for English homework at school, writing them to read to my friends... but it was never anything I did seriously. A few years ago I was commissioned to write a history book for a publisher who later let me down, it piqued my interest so I began looking into things to do with publishing and self-publishing and began playing with ideas. Those ideas culminated in the release of ‘Sleeping with Her Demons’ in September 2020 and it was so much fun! I’m still at it! 

You currently have a book out for pre order, 'Fairfolk of the oaks' could you tell us a bit about it? 

Of course! ‘Fairfolk’ is definitely my favourite work so far. It will be my fourth story but my third book and it’s heavily influenced by my own spirituality, my own beliefs and my own home environment. It’s the story I’ve always wanted—a faery tale that tells us of the dangers of the fae, a faery tale where the witch isn’t a big, bad villain but actually just a lovely, nature-loving free spirit. It’s also a gorey, bloodied mess of vicious elemental beings eating people from the inside out and turning them into fungi.

As an own voices author all of your books have LGBTIA+ representation. How do you feel representation in horror has changed over the last few years?  

I don’t really think it has but I hope to bring that much needed Queer Rep into the horror genre. There are very few horror books out there with honest, wholesome rep that I’ve seen and it is something I’d love to see more of within the community. 

It's currently women in horror month, how do you feel the role of women has changed in the genre over recent years? 

There’s certainly a lot more women in horror these days! That’s for sure! But I do think we still need a bit more representation in the community. Most of us are self-published and I can’t help but feel this is more due to our gender than it should be. Most publishers are only looking for the next Stephen King and unfortunately they don’t think that can be a woman.

Do you feel that the online horror community has helped to garner more inclusiveness with things like women in horror month? 

Yes!! The online horror community is so welcoming and inclusive! I’ve never felt at the edges of things within it at all, not as a woman, nor as a queer identifying person. The community is much more fluid, free thinking and inclusive than the publishing sector for sure! 

As a woman working in the genre, what would you like to see for the future of horror? 

I would really like to see more inclusivity in horror. I want to see more queer and female authors, I want to see more queer horror, I want to see black/minority protagonists too! I’d also personally like to see more female antagonists! The bad guys are always just that... guys, males.... I’d like to see some lady killers.

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?

This is a tricky one to answer because almost all my favourite authors are oldies. However, I do truly adore Lou Yardley, Sergio Gomez, James Brogden and Kealan Patrick Burke. 

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?

Well, alongside working on ‘Fairfolk of the Oaks’ I’m also working on a SF Horror, an anthology of short stories featuring lady killers and a women’s history book that will be traditionally published by Pen and Sword Books. So they’re all things to look out for over the next few months and years!

Thank you again to Kay for the wonderful interview. To keep up with Kay and to get her books, including the pre order for Fairfolk of the Oaks please follow the links below. 

https://Instagram.com/spookiesthistorian/

https://Twitter.com/kayparkerauthor/

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheSpookiestBookShop

GUEST BLOG: WiHM SOUNDTRACK SPOTLIGHT: ELISABETH LUTYENS DR TERRORS HOUSE OF HORROR SCORE

For this soundtrack spotlight in celebration of women in horror month I would like to take a listen to the 1965 anthology horror ‘Dr Terror’s house of horror’ composed by the ‘Horror Queen’ Elisabeth Lutyens. 

Lutyens was a well-established classical composer, working on chamber music, orchestral scores, choral pieces and operas, with a musical leaning to the avant-garde. Lutyens was not only a pioneer amongst female composers, but a pioneer in bringing the twelve-tone serial technique to Britain.  This technique lends itself perfectly to horror soundtracks with its discordant, a-tonal textures, which Lutyens was more than capable of exploiting. 

The opening scene of Dr Terror’s house of horror starts with a cacophonous burst of instrumentation, immediately putting the audience on edge for what is to come.  This then changes to a minimalist single instrumental melody sparsely set to the introductory conversation.

For the first story in this anthology horror, titled ‘Werewolf’, the music begins in a more traditional ‘tuneful’ way, but soon descends into discordance to create the feel of unease.  As this trend continues, there are quick crescendos leading to sharp pauses in the music and intermittent percussion.

When the coffin of Count Cosmo Valdemar is found in the cellar, a high pitched drone sounds while a serial sequence is played on a piano, again stopping suddenly. The music continues to move further into discordance until Valda’s body is found, at which point the music reaches a loud repeated melody, and keeps to this motif until it’s conclusion.

The next segment, ‘Creeping Vine’, starts with a light hearted piece of music in a similar way to the previous story, other than this first melodic piece the music is again sparse, sudden to begin and end without resolving.  To begin with the music is comprised of more staccato percussive hits of strings in single tones, and brief repeated melodies, but again builds into a crescendo of the repeated string melody accompanied by a serial piano sequence.

In the third instalment ‘Voodoo’,  the music begins with a jazz band practicing, with music becoming a main focus of the story.  The band gets a gig in the West Indies and in the next scene are greeted by a ‘calypso’ piece from the resorts resident band.

After being warned against attending the local voodoo ceremonies, the band leader, Biff, immediately does exactly the opposite and begins to transcribe the ceremonial music. He is then warned not to steal the music as it belongs to the voodoo God , so of course he again ignores the warnings and steals the music for his own band once they return home to London.  As the band performs the ceremonial music strange things begin to happen around them.

The previous stories comprised of non-diegetic a-tonal minimalist music but this instalment showcases almost entirely diegetic music, with the band providing the soundtrack.

The fourth segment, ‘Disembodied Hand’, does not begin with any music like the previous entries, the first piece of music only begins when Landor wakes up in the hospital to realize he has lost his hand, with a single, intense violin melody playing.  A descending melody is then presented while Landor looks at  his artwork and is then picked up by a horn section leading to Landor shooting himself. 

Another sudden burst of strings, horns and percussion begins when Franklyn is attacked by Landors hand in his home, this same percussive cacophony is played when Franklyn is again attacked, this time at his office, and eventually coming to a head when Franklyn crashes his car.

The final segment, ‘Vampire’, begins with no soundtrack again, until Nicolle sees Bob bleeding from a cut on his finger, at which point a single woodwind melody is played, until the scene changes to the next morning.

The simple melody is a repeating motif throughout this segment without deviating in dynamics too much, remaining subdued with little in the way of crescendos, creating a more melancholic mood rather than one of unease.

In the final scene a return to multi-instrumental serial sequences is brought to a cacophonous climax with Dr Schreck’s revalation.

Though the serial technique is utilized throughout most of the stories, due to its non-repetitive nature, no two soundtracks are alike.

With Lutyens pioneering of the twelve-tone serial technique in horror soundtracks, she paved the way for the experimentation and common use of this technique in horror ever since.

Destiny Soria on Christmas Slasher and WiHM

Positively horror recently got the chance to talk with Desitiny Soria about her upcoming festive horror film, Christmas Slasher. Please enjoy the full interview below.

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre? 

Hello I'm Destiny soria, an actress/director. I'm married to it. Haha

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age? 

My mom taking me to see nightmare on elm Street in theaters when I was 9, but I was younger than that when I watched my first horror. My mom was the one that got me into it. 

You're currently crowdfunding for your holiday horror 'Christmas Slasher' could you tell us a bit about it? 

Yes! We beat our goal and went over! It was awesome and pretty easy on figuring out how to do it. 

You have a lot of acting credits to your name, and a good few of those are in horror. What draws you to the genre? 

The gore! The blood! And yes a great plot

It's currently women in horror month, how do you feel the role of women has changed in the genre over recent years both in front of, and behind the camera? 

It change big and better! So many talented beautiful women coming and making this amazing films! I love it!

Do you feel that the online horror community has helped to garner more inclusiveness with things like women in horror month?

Yas! The horror community is so HUGE and very sweet people too. Very supportive crowd and I'm blessed to have them!

As a woman working in the genre, what would you like to see for the future of horror? 

More badass chick's doing badass things. More crazy horror themes!

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment? 

Samara weaving! I love her acting and her look! She fits in horrors, she is a kick ass lady. 

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?

Did you see that part 2, we film in April. Its a witchy movie.

Thank you again to Destiny for the interview. Below are some related links to check out:

Lady destiny Productions IMDB:

https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?companies=co0682851

Christmas Slasher Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=christmas%20slasher&epa=SEARCH_BOX

Christmas Slasher Instagram:

@Christmasslashermovie

The Indiegogo campaign:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/christmas-slasher-feature-film--2#/

Zetkin Yikilmis on Planet Zee and WiHM

 

Positively horror recently got the chance to see the upcoming film Planet Zee from Zektin Yikilmis, and ask her some questions about it. Please enjoy the full interview below. 

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?

I am born as a daughter of a turkish migrant family in germany. In horror I found more than a trigger for the fears and rage I felt growing inside me, while I was coming of age in a racist and sexist society as migrant and female. 

I think the horror genre is very progressive and a good means to express social issues, political and social anger and even a good canvas for revolutionary ideas, all that with fun, distance and a strong imagery. I think pain, suffering and violence are things every human reacts to immediately. To use the effective impact of force in a safe area without hurting or harming people, just creating a notion of distress in pictures is in my opinion the best way holding a mirror to society as it is and to address problems.

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age? 

Event Horizon when I was 11.

Your upcoming film 'Planet Zee' was filmed during lockdown, what were some of the difficulties of putting a film together during a lockdown, and what do you feel were the benefits of making a film this way? 

Planet Zee was post produced during lockdown - I was sitting in a room and editing and doing all the stuff without being dissed for not going out, because it was lockdown anyway. 

I am now planning to shoot my third feature in a couple of weeks. For me it is no different, I just try to keep safety standards - but since I do a lot of stuff by myself we have just a few people on set (Somtimes just me and my husband) so it's no big difference.

It's currently women in horror month, how do you feel the role of women has changed in the genre over recent years both in front of, and behind the camera? 

I think the horror genre was in it's traditions and theory very emancipatory, but like it is in the practice, sometimes you need to stand up and kick ass to bring the theory to life in its fullest sense. And a lot of female artists are doing that and fighting to do that! I think to say there are patriarchal structures holding women down in all spheres of society is not wrong. We have to break them chains and keep marching forward to bring a fully emancipated world in to being not just in film and art in general, but in all spheres of society.

Do you feel that the online horror community has helped to garner more inclusiveness with things like women in horror month? 

It's a beginning but there has to be done more.

As a woman working in the genre, what would you like to see for the future of horror? 

More independent projects from progressive filmmakers - I don't care about budget, production value or technical skills, for me it's the quality of the story that counts.

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?

I have some favourite directors and some favourite actors, but my heart is with everybody working his ass off, producing no budget films by putting all their creative power into that process. I know how hard it is to follow your dream trying to create your art.

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about? 

My next flick I'll start shooting very soon: "Pink Rabbit" is a modern fable of a social and psychological sisyphus story, reflecting the struggle of being female and mother in today's society in a bloody way. It will be deeper and darker than all my other projects, with more psychological depth and a lot more blood. Stay in touch!

Thank you again to Yetkin for the interview. Planet Zee will be released from Darkside releasing at the link below:

tps://darksidereleasing.com/ 

M.J. Dixon and the Mychoverse

 

It's no secret that Positively Horror is a big Mycho fan and so this interview with M.J. Dixon was an absolute treat. Please enjoy it as much as I did!

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?

My name is MJ Dixon, I’m a horror filmmaker, writer and artist, currently residing in South England, along with my wife I run a Independent Production company called Mycho Entertainment, under which we produce shorts and feature films set in the expanded Mycho Universe. A shared universe of horror villains that interconnects across our movies.

 What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

I think I’d always liked monsters and things that drew elements from that, I was a big fan of Masters of the Universe as a kid and the monsters and creatures that existed in that space. I think the first Horror movie I saw was The Mummy, around 6 and that really bothered me at the time and gave me nightmares and as I got older, I kind of became fascinated with the experience of watching a film that could do that to me.

When I was 11, I saw Halloween, taped off the TV and, although it terrified me more than anything I’d ever seen, I loved every minute of it. I became an instant horror fan from there really, and absorbed anything horror that I could get my hands on.

I would set our video machine to record over night and then close the cabinet doors and sneak down at 5 in the morning to see what horrific delights I’d managed to capture. Doing this meant that before I was even a teenager I was getting educated by the likes of Cronenberg, Carpenter and loads of other filmmakers that would forge my outlook on the genre.

Last year you hosted MYCon, where you announced some very exciting projects, is there a particular project you're really keen to jump into?

I mean, all of them fill me with excitement, but the one I think I’d been looking forward to the most was CL3AVER : MAXIMUM CLEAVAGE, its a film that I’ve been developing for years. The first killer clown prison break movie. It’s a very exciting project that brings a whole host of Mycho characters together for the first time.

Unfortunately, the lead, Paul Rogers, passed away a few weeks ago and so its kind of put a big question mark over the project and what we should do with it. Paul played Cleaver and really left his mark on the character, so in some way it feels like he took a large part of the character with him. I think time will tell what we do with the Cleaver franchise and if we can move it forward in a way that makes sense.

We have plenty of other projects to keep us busy in the meantime with sequels Wrath of Thorn, Bannister Doll Heist and Pandamonium Incorporated and a brand new entry in the Mychoverse with Strawmen, our take on the killer scarecrow sub-genre.

Your films have a very recognisable style with lighting and score. Who are some of your influences in that regard?

I have a lot of great influences, a lot of the visual style comes from Argento and Carpenter movies that I grew up loving. I try to bring a lot of comic book influence to my work, as that's a large part of my input as a visual creator. I just always really liked anything that took a bold visual approach and so I try to do the same. There are a lot of cinematographers that I take influence from but Dean Cundey, Roy Wagner and Gerry Fisher are way up there in terms of my favourites. Real masters of the craft.

In terms of music Carpenter remains a big influence, but I also try and add a lot of rock influence into that work, I spent a long time in my youth writing a performing in rock bands and so its a huge part of what I try and bring to that side of my work as a composer.

Outside of massive franchises like Marvel, there really isn't anyone else creating such a vast shared cinematic universe as the Mychoverse. Is it hard to keep track of all the characters and timelines, and was it always the plan to create this world?

Sometimes, its very hard to remember when people were born off the top of my head, so I have tables and constantly have to make diagrams. It becomes even more complicated when characters slip in and out of ‘time bending hell dimensions’ and the like, so it’s a bit of task trying to keep up with it all. Someone created a Mycho Wiki that attempts to make all our nonsense make sense and thats actually been an invaluable resource for me when coming back to various corners of the universe, as after 9 movies and multiple time jumps its still a bit tricky and having it laid out really helps.

I always knew, way back in like 2000 (before it was even called the Mychoverse) that I wanted there to be a world of characters, I loved comic books and especially when they crossed over with other titles, and never understood why horror/slasher movies didn’t do that kind of thing more. I initially planned to start with some thing much bigger, but when I realised that it was a little beyond my scope as a young filmmaker I started developing smaller ideas set in the same world that would eventually lead to an epic finale and as that developed the Mychoverse was born.

In 2005 I jumped the gun little bit and started writing our first ‘crossover’ movie Slasher House and that kind of accidentally became the starting point for the whole thing, but the initial plan was to do Thorn and Hollower first. Sometimes things just don’t work out that way. But Slasher House turned out to be a great jumping off point for all the characters and kind of gave a boost to the whole idea.

 As well as features, you have an impressive collection of shorts under your belt. Do you have a different approach to shorts than you do to features?

Its kind of weird, but a lot of times, making a feature is about the same effort as making a short in terms of pre-production, cost and planning. So it’s often that we’ll opt to do a feature instead of a short if we get the opportunity. But when it comes to shorts, exactly the same effort goes in, but the upside is, that we’re just there for a much shorter time (mostly).

But I think shorts are great for exploring ideas that sometimes would just be too over stretched as a feature, and they are a great way for exploring ideas that we couldn’t fit into a feature due to time. Eric: A Tale of Thorn was a whole load of stuff that I wanted to add to Legacy of Thorn, but the film was already running just under 2 hours and so it was abandoned at the time. So getting to put that together as a short was a really wonderful way to revisit that character and that story.

We also get an opportunity to test ideas, get a feel for them and see of they have more to offer. Strawmen started life as our short Rough Patch and it gave us a clear idea of where we could take the story and how it could be expanded into a feature length film. Its also a good way for your audience to let you know what they want to see more of.

Aside from films, you've branched out into a podcast network with great original content. Do you have plans to expand further in the future?

The podcast was kind of an accidental thing. It started out as just interviews of cast members to give to our Patreon members and then when the pandemic hit, we just upscaled our production to fill the space where our films should be. Then Anna and Eve brought their show on and then Lewis and I decided to test drive Gritty Reboots and before long we had kind of built our own little network.

We’re looking to expand it more this year, with more interviews and hopefully some new shows. I think we’d really like to bring some new talent on board if possible and just keep it growing over the next few years and see where it goes.

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?

There are so many great creative voices out there at the moment that it’s hard to pick even just a handful. There are some great filmmakers doing some great stuff at the minute. Enjoying the work of TIS films as they gear up for their next feature and they feel like a really fun team who produced some wonderful stuff with I Scream on the Beach. And of course Maria Lee Metheringham always astounds me with her work ethic and quality of production, I always like to see what she’s up to.

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?

I guess the obvious one is Slasher House 3, which should be finished by now, but the current state of affairs has postponed that for now. Hopefully we’ll be able to pick that back up this year if all goes to plan, and hopefully there’ll be some cool announcements to go with it.

Outside of that I recently Directed a film for Milton Keynes Film Network called Roundabouts, written by my good friend Grant Kempster. It’s a romantic comedy that jumps through film genres and that should hopefully be festival ready this year.

We’re also prepping our short film The Thinning Veil for Festivals this year. So far the response has been great and so we’re excited about getting it out to a bigger audience.

Thank you again to M.J. for the great interview. Below are some links to further explore the Mychoverse:

The official Mycho site to keep up with the latest news:

https://mycho.weebly.com/

The Mycho YouTube channel for shorts and more:

https://youtube.com/c/MJDixonuk

The Patreon, where for as little as £1.50 a month you can access exclusive content!:

https://www.patreon.com/mycho

 

Gatekeeping in the horror community

Over the last few weeks during another UK lock down I've noticed quite a few memes popping up on horror groups, that are very similar in nature, and are all examples of gatekeeping in the online horror community. 

Things like "if you don't know who this is you aren't a true horror fan" or "if you don't like this film you're not really into horror" etc. 

As well as not being at all funny, they are entirely obnoxious and elitist,  saying far more about the person posting than the person that maybe doesn't know the character, or doesn't like the film.

This form of gatekeeping can be very off putting to someone maybe just getting into horror, and looking into joining the community online.  Someone that could have potentially made great online friendships and contributed to insightful genre based conversation, turned away because of a slew of memes telling them why they aren't a "real fan". 

Whether you're only into modern paranormal films, or family friendly horror, or if you only like to read horror and not watch it, you are a horror fan. What defines you as a horror fan is personal to you, and if you enjoy any of the spooky jazz that makes up the vastness of the horror genre, you can quite comfortably call yourself a horror fan, without having to know the name of the personal assistant to the actor that was killed third in the eighth Friday the 13th film! Some people really enjoy getting into minute details about things, and others enjoy the exact same things just as much without ever knowing certain facts. 

I've been a horror fan for a long time, and some of these gatekeeping memes specifically attack my own tastes making out that I'm not a true fan. I have spent years collecting, watching, talking about and loving horror, and I'm not being told I'm not a fan because I don't like the Shining, and you shouldn't either, whether you're just getting into the genre or whether you've been enjoying it for a long time. Enjoy what you enjoy unapologetically, and find others who can share that joy with you!

INTERVIEW: Hailey Piper talks books!

For the first Positively Horror interview of the new year, the brilliant genre author Hailey Piper was kind enough to answer some questions. Please enjoy the full interview below. 

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?

Hi, I'm Hailey Piper! I the author of horror novellas The Worm and His Kings from Off Limits Press, Benny Rose, the Cannibal King from Unnerving, and more. This spring, The Seventh Terrace will publish my first short story collection, Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy, and later this year Strangehouse Books will publish my first novel, Queen of Teeth. I've also had a few dozen stories in different publications, and I'm known for writing queer fiction and hopping around all subgenres of horror to do so. 

What was your introduction to horror and at what age?

I can't remember a time that I didn't love monsters, and I obsessively read Goosebumps books as a kid. Definitely my earliest memory of adult horror was accidentally being shown a monster movie The Unnameable at age 5. It was very R-rated and though I only caught half of it, I doubt my brain has been the same since.

I picked up The Possession Of Natalie Galsgow after seeing many posts about your work on bookstagram. Do you feel that the bookstagram community has helped push your name out there on the horror book scene?

The community plays a big part. I love the creative photos Bookstagrammers take, and when I'm tagged, I'll often see comments by people who've never heard of me but now want to pick up The Possession of Natalie Glasgow or others. It is much appreciated.

Where do you get your inspiration, and what is your creative process? 

Inspiration can come from anywhere, there's no single source. What's important is to jot down thoughts and observations when they occur and keep them. Most of it will be junk I never use, a little of it will become story seeds, but I can't tell the difference right away, plus you never know what a later point of view will bring to old notes. Enough notes in correlation can become a story. The actual process changes for every story, but the notes give enough fertile ground that the story can grow in whichever shape or direction it needs.

What has the current lockdown/pandemic situation done for your inspiration? 

I'm sure there's been some impact, but I can't really discern how I've absorbed it, only what I've done with it. I've stopped saying no to myself with various concepts and executions; many of us have come out of 2020 a bit stranger than we went in.

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?

Oh, there are so many impressive and talented authors writing horror right now. Joanna Koch, Eden Royce, Sara Tantlinger, Stephen Graham Jones, Gwendolyn Kiste, Andrew Cull, I could go endlessly and still miss loads of people. My TBR pile is a mountain.

And is there anything that you're currently working on that you'd like to talk about?

I'm revising a couple larger projects right now, outlining future ones, and writing short stories; I can never write enough of those. You can keep updated by finding me at www.haileypiper.com or on Twitter via @HaileyPiperSays.

Thank you again for having me!

Thank you again to Hailey for the interview. To check out Hailey's work just click the link below:

https://www.amazon.com/Hailey-Piper/e/B07HDYFL2C/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1